Two teenagers were killed and several others injured in a shooting at an Atlanta apartment complex Saturday evening, according to police.
At approximately 5:09 p.m., officers with the Atlanta Police Department responded to a report of multiple people being shot at the Retreat at the Greenbrier apartment complex.
A 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy were pronounced dead at the scene, Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said at a news conference.
An 11-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were taken to area hospitals — two with gunshot wounds and one with a gunshot wound, Hampton Jr. said.
“It appears that several victims were transported to the hospital by private vehicle before police arrived on the scene,” the Atlanta Police Department said in a news release.
Hampton Jr. would not comment on whether anyone else was injured other than being taken to the hospital.
“The shooting stemmed from a social media dispute,” Hampton Jr. said.
“One group of people came into the apartment with guns and then another group fired their weapons,” he said. “Both sides had weapons.”
Hampton Jr. said “a lot of people were shooting” and that it was “a fair assessment to say it was a shootout.”
According to preliminary investigation, the shooting started from an apartment inside the complex and went outside. The injured were found inside the apartment, while the 14-year-old and 16-year-old boys were found outside.
“I don’t like talking about kids and guns here,” Hampton Jr. said. “We’re just asking parents to know where your kids are, know what they’re doing, check rooms. Again, it’s just more guns in the hands of our young people.”
“This should be the time when we’re getting ready for the holidays but we have at least two families that are planning funerals.”